Our evangelical brothers and sisters have been making headway in building a response to climate change. Scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who is based in Texas and is married to an evangelical minister has been speaking with crowds for years. One of the things she starts her presentations with is that we have known about climate change for a very long time — 150 years! She takes those present through the learning over that period. In fact, the US government and the White House issued a decisive report on climate change over 50 years ago, that projected, right on target, the increases in greenhouse gases that would occur on the business as usual trajectory by 2000, among other warnings. Scientists have tried to tutor Florida governor Rick Scott and many others on the cost of inaction: “The longer you wait the cost of the solution goes up about 40 percent a decade” (and is now rising faster). Evangelical pastor Rev. Mitch Hescox couldn’t even get his foot in the door. Hescox, the President of Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), brought a petition signed by 60,000 Christians, urging fellow evangelical Scott to take action to protect Florida from the threat of climate change. Hescox, who spent 14 years in the coal industry, preceded by his dad’s work in coal and both grandfather’s deaths from black lung disease, said coal’s days are numbered: There are only 7,000 coal mine jobs in Pennsylvania. They’re declining and not going to return,” he said.

“We believe that addressing climate change will result in a clean energy future that will boost our economy,” Hescox said. The evangelical environmental movement isn’t new — it flourished in the mid-2000s. But that didn’t last. A recent paper from the New America Foundation argues that the movement’s lack of mobilized power didn’t allow it to stand up to the organized right, which saw creation care as a threat to its conservative coalition. Today, with about 800,000 followers on its email list, EEN isn’t anywhere as large as the green groups often identified with the political left. But its network is growing, Hescox said. According to the University of Michigan’s National Surveys on Energy and the Environment, acceptance of global warming among American evangelical Christians rose 16 percent — from 49 percent in the spring to 65 percent this fall — an increase partially attributed to Pope Francis’ encyclical on the issue and his visit to the U.S. earlier this year. Even if he doesn’t have the numbers that other groups have, Hescox thinks his organization brings an important perspective. (“My standard spiel is it’s not about polar bears, it’s about children,” Hescox said. When I visit Republican congresspeople “I tell them that I’m a Christian. In entire sincerity, I pray that those offices can open up to where God wants them to move,” he added. And what of Paris, where America’s carbon reduction goals will be on the world stage? “We’re letting other people deal with Paris,” Hescox said. “We need to work with our people in the pews.”

GCCM’s Blog editor, Marie Venner (marie(at)CatholicNetwork.us or marie(at)catholicclimatemovement.global) met with Rev. Hescox when he was visiting Colorado in 2016 and he described Texas evangelicals’ collection of 50,000 signatures calling for a shift to 100% clean energy by 2030.

BelovedPlanet.com (a site with resources for evangelical churches on climate — see bottom of this post) writes “In our experience, the world’s (2.1 billion) Christians watch with near disbelief as American politicians cite the Christian scriptures as the skin-deep rationale for their heart-deep collusion with wealthy polluters, inflicting severe harm to the world’s poorest communities.”

Statement of the Evangelical Climate Initiative

Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action

Preamble

As American evangelical Christian leaders, we recognize both our opportunity and our responsibility to offer a biblically based moral witness that can help shape public policy in the most powerful nation on earth, and therefore contribute to the well-being of the entire world.1 Whether we will enter the public square and offer our witness there is no longer an open question. We are in that square, and we will not withdraw.

We are proud of the evangelical community’s long-standing commitment to the sanctity of human life. But we also offer moral witness in many venues and on many issues. Sometimes the issues that we have taken on, such as sex trafficking, genocide in the Sudan, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa, have surprised outside observers. While individuals and organizations can be called to concentrate on certain issues, we are not a single-issue movement. We seek to be true to our calling as Christian leaders, and above all faithful to Jesus Christ our Lord. Our attention, therefore, goes to whatever issues our faith requires us to address.

Over the last several years many of us have engaged in study, reflection, and prayer related to the issue of climate change (often called “global warming”). For most of us, until recently this has not been treated as a pressing issue or major priority. Indeed, many of us have required considerable convincing before becoming persuaded that climate change is a real problem and that it ought to matter to us as Christians. But now we have seen and heard enough to offer the following moral argument related to the matter of human-induced climate change. We commend the four simple but urgent claims offered in this document to all who will listen, beginning with our brothers and sisters in the Christian community, and urge all to take the appropriate actions that follow from them.

CLAIM 1: Human-Induced Climate Change is Real

Since 1995 there has been general agreement among those in the scientific community most seriously engaged with this issue that climate change is happening and is being caused mainly by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels. Evidence gathered since 1995 has only strengthened this conclusion.

Because all religious/moral claims about climate change are relevant only if climate change is real and is mainly human-induced, everything hinges on the scientific data. As evangelicals we have hesitated to speak on this issue until we could be more certain of the science of climate change, but the signatories now believe that the evidence demands action:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s most authoritative body of scientists and policy experts on the issue of global warming, has been studying this issue since the late 1980s. (From 1988—2002 the IPCC’s assessment of the climate science was Chaired by Sir John Houghton, a devout evangelical Christian.) It has documented the steady rise in global temperatures over the last fifty years, projects that the average global temperature will continue to rise in the coming decades, and attributes “most of the warming” to human activities.

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, as well as all other G8 country scientific Academies (Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, and Russia), has concurred with these judgments.

In a 2004 report, and at the 2005 G8 summit, the Bush Administration has also acknowledged the reality of climate change and the likelihood that human activity is the cause of at least some of it.2

In the face of the breadth and depth of this scientific and governmental concern, only a small percentage of which is noted here, we are convinced that evangelicals must engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem or humanity’s responsibility to address it.

CLAIM 2: The Consequences of Climate Change Will Be Significant, and Will Hit the Poor the Hardest

The earth’s natural systems are resilient but not infinitely so, and human civilizations are remarkably dependent on ecological stability and well-being. It is easy to forget this until that stability and well-being are threatened.

Even small rises in global temperatures will have such likely impacts as: sea level rise; more frequent heat waves, droughts, and extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods; increased tropical diseases in now-temperate regions; and hurricanes that are more intense. It could lead to significant reduction in agricultural output, especially in poor countries. Low-lying regions, indeed entire islands, could find themselves under water. (This is not to mention the various negative impacts climate change could have on God’s other creatures.)

Each of these impacts increases the likelihood of refugees from flooding or famine, violent conflicts, and international instability, which could lead to more security threats to our nation.

Poor nations and poor individuals have fewer resources available to cope with major challenges and threats. The consequences of global warming will therefore hit the poor the hardest, in part because those areas likely to be significantly affected first are in the poorest regions of the world. Millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors.

While we cannot here review the full range of relevant biblical convictions related to care of the creation, we emphasize the following points:

Christians must care about climate change because we love God the Creator and Jesus our Lord, through whom and for whom the creation was made. This is God’s world, and any damage that we do to God’s world is an offense against God Himself (Gen. 1; Ps. 24; Col. 1:16).

Christians must care about climate change because we are called to love our neighbors, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, and to protect and care for the least of these as though each was Jesus Christ himself (Mt. 22:34-40; Mt. 7:12; Mt. 25:31-46).

Christians, noting the fact that most of the climate change problem is human induced, are reminded that when God made humanity he commissioned us to exercise stewardship over the earth and its creatures. Climate change is the latest evidence of our failure to exercise proper stewardship, and constitutes a critical opportunity for us to do better (Gen. 1:26-28).

Love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical Christians to respond to the climate change problem with moral passion and concrete action.

The need to act now is urgent. Governments, businesses, churches, and individuals all have a role to play in addressing climate change—;starting now.

The basic task for all of the world’s inhabitants is to find ways now to begin to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels that are the primary cause of human-induced climate change.

There are several reasons for urgency. First, deadly impacts are being experienced now. Second, the oceans only warm slowly, creating a lag in experiencing the consequences. Much of the climate change to which we are already committed will not be realized for several decades. The consequences of the pollution we create now will be visited upon our children and grandchildren. Third, as individuals and as a society we are making long-term decisions today that will determine how much carbon dioxide we will emit in the future, such as whether to purchase energy efficient vehicles and appliances that will last for 10-20 years, or whether to build more coal-burning power plants that last for 50 years rather than investing more in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

In the United States, the most important immediate step that can be taken at the federal level is to pass and implement national legislation requiring sufficient economy-wide reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through cost-effective, market-based mechanisms such as a cap-and-trade program. On June 22, 2005 the Senate passed the Domenici-Bingaman resolution affirming this approach, and a number of major energy companies now acknowledge that this method is best both for the environment and for business.

We commend the Senators who have taken this stand and encourage them to fulfill their pledge. We also applaud the steps taken by such companies as BP, Shell, General Electric, Cinergy, Duke Energy, and DuPont, all of which have moved ahead of the pace of government action through innovative measures implemented within their companies in the U.S. and around the world. In so doing they have offered timely leadership.

Numerous positive actions to prevent and mitigate climate change are being implemented across our society by state and local governments, churches, smaller businesses, and individuals. These commendable efforts focus on such matters as energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, low CO2 emitting technologies, and the purchase of hybrid vehicles. These efforts can easily be shown to save money, save energy, reduce global warming pollution as well as air pollution that harm human health, and eventually pay for themselves. There is much more to be done, but these pioneers are already helping to show the way forward.

Finally, while we must reduce our global warming pollution to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, as a society and as individuals we must also help the poor adapt to the significant harm that global warming will cause.

CONCLUSION

We the undersigned pledge to act on the basis of the claims made in this document. We will not only teach the truths communicated here but also seek ways to implement the actions that follow from them. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we urge all who read this declaration to join us in this effort.

From Evangelical Collaborators:

Action

You CAN change the beloved planet!

Join Up

Speak Out

Learn More

My Lifestyle

My Home

My Food

My Church

My Travel

My Shopping

My Money

Join Up

The Beloved Planet: A website dedicated to hearing the gospel’s call to care for an injured world. See the orange box to the right; add your email address, and you’re done!

Endorse the Lausanne Creation Care Call to Action: Many of the world’s poorest people … are being devastated by violence against the environment in multiple ways …. Love for God, our neighbors and the wider creation, as well as our passion for justice, compel us to “urgent and prophetic ecological responsibility” … read more

Use social media: Tell your friends on Facebook or Twitter that you’re following Beloved Planet

How carbon-heavy is my diet? What you eat matters. Find out the carbon impacts of your diet choices.

Meatless Monday: Passing on meat one day a week is like taking your car off the road for five weeks per year.

Hungry for Change: A 5-day challenge consuming the type and quantity of food and drink that half the world’s population experience on a daily basis. From Trade as One.

Local food: Average food travels 1,500 miles. 90% of fossil fuels for food goes for packaging, transporting and marketing. 97% of fruit and vegetable varieties have been replaced by only a few uniform varieties. You can help change this.

Fair trade food: Change for Good – a simple, regular way to ensure that a portion of your normal spending on food is fair trade, delivered right to your door. From Trade as One.

My Church

Greening my church: If America’s 370,000 houses of worship cut energy use by 20%, we would cut emissions equivalent to removing 480,000 cars. Find out how.

Planting a church garden: Fresh food for those in need, fresh air for the young and old, relationships for the lonely, tender care for God’s good yet groaning creation. A Rocha shows us how.

Missions – Eden Vigil: Environmental issues represent the greatest opportunity for evangelism and discipleship among the least-reached in our generation.

Missions – Care of Creation: Environmental issues such as the condition of farmland, water quality, air quality and erosion affect people’s lives – and are crucial to the spread of the gospel.

My Travel

Avoiding the drive-through: Take a stand against the flabby “everything-from-my-car” culture.

Carbon offsets for air travel: It’s easy to figure how much carbon your flight will generate. The system of offset credits is still in its early stages. Still, it’s worth trying.

Comparing air, car, train and bus: Several websites will help you compare the climate-changing emissions from various alternative means of transport.

Walk/bike to school (or work) day: When families decide to lace up their sneakers or strap on their bike helmets instead of riding in a car, they reduce pollutants.

My Shopping

Better world shopper: We vote every single day with the purest form of power – money. With around $18,000 spent each year on goods and services, it’s like casting 18,000 votes every year for the kind of world you want to live in.

Plastic bottles: 31 billion of them get used and pitched every year. But you have a choice.

Ethical investing: Invest with integrity. No-load index fund that features only companies with positive Environmental, Social and Governance scores.

Give: It’s easy to find partners on this site that contribute resources, advocate for the creation, and engage in conservation. Visit their sites, and invest in creation care!

Short List of Recommended Resources

Online Resources:

National Academy of Sciences: America’s authoritative science academy – created by Abraham Lincoln – answers common questions about the science of climate change.

Loving the Least of These: The National Association of Evangelicals brings together two dozen Bible scholars, professors and evangelical leaders to examine the relationship between the changing environment and poverty. Downloadable booklet.

CreationCare.org: Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) educates, inspires, and mobilizes Christians in their effort to care for God’s creation, to be faithful stewards, and to advocate for actions that honor God and protect the environment.

Lausanne Call to Action: Creation Care is a gospel issue within the lordship of Christ. Love for God, our neighbors and the wider creation, as well as our passion for justice, compel us to urgent and prophetic ecological responsibility.

Books:

Global Warming and the Risen LORD: Christian Discipleship and Climate Change by Jim Ball. Global Warming and the Risen LORD moves beyond the old debates about climate change to a new conversation focusing on opportunities to meet this threat.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert. Fascinating journalistic tour through melting Arctic tundra, rising seas in Europe, receding mountain glaciers and the collapse of ancient civilizations.

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery. A riveting history of how climate change has shaped our planet, with an action plan for how we can reduce deadly CO2 emissions.

Hope for Creation Guidebook: Matthew Sleeth’s two-part video series. Following Jesus is good for the planet. Or should be, at least.

Online Sources:

CreationCare.org: Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) educates, inspires, and mobilizes Christians in their effort to care for God’s creation, to be faithful stewards, and to advocate for actions that honor God and protect the environment.

National Academy of Sciences: America’s authoritative science academy – created by Abraham Lincoln – answers common questions about the science of climate change.

Young Evangelicals for Climate Action: Taking action to overcome the climate crisis as part of Christian discipleship by mobilizing young people to act and advocate together; influencing senior evangelical leaders to support climate action; and holding political leaders accountable.

Care of Creation: Pursuing a God-centered response to environmental challenges that brings glory to the Creator, advances the cause of Christ, and leads to a transformation of the people and the land that sustains them.

NASA Global Climate Change: With more than a dozen earth-science spacecraft, NASA researches solar activity, sea level rise, the temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans, the state of the ozone layer, air pollution, and changes in sea ice and land ice.

Blessed Earth: Educational nonprofit inspires and equips people of faith to become better stewards of the earth.

Climate Progress: News blog covers climate science, solutions and politics. Time magazine named it one of the 25 “Best Blogs of 2010.”

Lausanne Call to Action: The “United Nations of global Christianity” affirms creation care as a core gospel issue. Love for God, our neighbors and the wider creation, as well as our passion for justice, compel believers to urgent and prophetic ecological responsibility.

NOAA Climate Watch: Most authoritative U.S. experts on climate research and data; good science in highly readable form.

Loving the Least of These: The National Association of Evangelicals brings together two dozen Bible scholars, professors and evangelical leaders to examine the relationship between the changing environment and poverty. Downloadable booklet.

Skeptical Science: What is causing global warming is a purely scientific question. Skeptical Science removes the politics from the debate by concentrating solely on the science.

U.S. Drought Monitor: Synthesis of multiple drought indices and impacts that represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.

EcoWatch.com : A cutting-edge news service promoting the work of more than 1,000 grassroots environmental organizations and activists worldwide, and showcasing the insights of world-renowned environmental leaders.

Books

The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects…

by John Stott

$9.35

What is a life of radical discipleship? At root, it means we let Jesus set the agenda of our lives. We aren’t selective.

A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts …

by Katharine Hayhoe

This engaging book has everything you need to understand the climate change debate: facts, answers, stories, and of course Scripture.

Global Warming and the Risen LORD: Christian Discipleship…

by Jim Ball

$16.50

Global Warming and the Risen LORD moves beyond the old debates about climate change to a new conversation focusing on opportunities…

Sacred Acts: How Churches are Working to Protect Earth’s…

by Mallory McDuff

$12.48This book covers stories from across North America … where honoring the Creator means protecting the planet.

Salvation Means Creation Healed: The Ecology of Sin and Grace

by Howard A. Snyder

$24.40

The Bible promises the renewal of all creation–a new heaven and earth–based on the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection…

Between Heaven and Earth: Christian Perspectives on Enviro…

by Fred Van Dyke

$44.95

There are many books on Christian environmental ethics, but none provides a clear and thorough analysis of the history of the …

Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues

by Calvin B. Dewitt

$2.61

A study guide for churches and discussion groups, with suggestions for discussion leaders.

Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation

by Ben Lowe

$11.70

Green Revolution is an invitation, not just to believe that another world is possible, but to begin enacting it now

Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and…

by Tracey Bianchi

$5.20

A fearless trek into the minefields of discord between those Christians who go enthusiastically green in their habits and philosophical leanings, and those who do not.

Under the Bright Wings

by Peter Harris

$14.78

Under the Bright Wings tells the story of Peter and Miranda Harris and how they founded A Rocha in the Algarve, Portugal…

For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision…

by Steven Bouma-Prediger

$16.18

This award-winning book provides the most thorough evangelical treatment available on a theology of creation care.

24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life

by Matthew Sleeth

$10.39

Sabbath is about restraint, about intentionally not doing everything all the time just because we can. Setting aside a day of rest helps us reconnect…